章节_4
e street. for some reaso of the cat
seemed to amuse him. he chud muttered, ”i should have known.”
he found what he was looking for in his i. it seemed
to be a silver cigarette lighter. he flicked it ope up
in the air, ahe lamp went out with
a little pop. he clicked it agai lamp flito
darkimes he clicked the put-outer, until the only
lights left oreet were two tiny pinpri the
distance, which were the eyes of the cat watg him. if anyone
looked out of their , even beady-eyed mrs. dursley,
they wouldo see anything that ening down on
the pavement. dumbledore slipped the put-outer baside his
d set off dowoward number four, where he sat
down on the wall he cat. he didnt look at it, but after
a momeo it.
”fang you here, prall.”
he turo smile at the tabby, but it had goead he
was smiling at a rather severe-looking earing square
glasses exactly the shape s the cat had had around
its eyes. she, too, was wearing a erald one. her black
hair was drawn into a tight bun. she looked distinctly ruffled.
”how did you know it was me?” she asked.
”my dear professor, i ve sit so stiffly.”
”youd be stiff if youd been sitting on a brick wall all day,”
said prall.
”all day? when you could have beeing? i must have
passed a dozes and parties on my way here.”
prall sniffed angrily.
”oh yes, everyones g, all right,” she said
impatiently. ”youd think theyd be a bit more careful, but
he muggles have hings going on. it
was on their news.” she jerked her head back at the dursleys
dark living-room window. ”i heard it. flocks of owls... shooting
stars.... well, theyre upid. they were bound to
hing. shooting stars dow -- ill bet that was
dedalus diggle. he never had muse.”
”you t blame them,” said dumbledently. ”weve had
precious little to celebrate for eleven years.”
”i know that,” said prall irritably. ”but thats
o lose our heads. pe dht careless,
out os in broad daylight, not even dressed in muggle
clothes, sing rumors.”
she thre, sideways gla dumbledore here, as though
hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didnt, so she
went o would be if, on the very day youknow-who
seems to have disappeared at last, the muggles found out about us
all. i suppose he really has gone, dumbledore?”
”it ly seems so,” said dumbledore. ”we have much to be
thankful for. would you on drop?”
”a what?”
”a lemon drop. theyre a kind of muggle sweet im rather fond of”
”no, thank you,” said prall coldly, as though
she didnt think this was the moment for lemon drops. ”as i say,
even if you-know-who has gone -”
”my dear professor, surely a sensible person like yourself
call him by his his you- know-who nonsense -- for eleven
years i have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper
name: voldemort.” prall fli dumbledore,
who was unstion drops, seemed not to all
gets so g if we keep saying you-know-who. i have never
seehtened of sayis name.
”i know you haven t, said prall, sounding
half exasperated, half admiring. ”but youre different. everyone
knows youre the only one you-know- ht, voldemort,
was frightened of.”
”you flatter me,” said dumbledore calmly. ”voldemort had powers
i will never have.”
”only because youre too -- well -- hem.”
”its lucky its dark. i havent blushed so muce madam
pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."